A typical automobile includes windows on at least the sides adjacent to the seats for the driver and the passenger next to the driver. All of the prior art automobile windows operate to open or close though a mechanical arrangement which moves the window up or down into a slot defined in the respective car doors. Thus, a partially opened window is open at the top, not the bottom, of the window frame. The drive system for the automobile windows is either in the form of a crank hand operated, or an electrically driven system.
It is a common practice of drivers of automobiles to rest a left arm on the bottom ledge of the window frame while the window is fully opened. While there does not appear to be any scientific study of this phenomena, the inventor has not only observed this in numerous drivers operating vehicles, but the inventor himself prefers to drive with his left arm or elbow resting on the bottom ledge of the window frame. The inventor has made an informal evaluation of automobile drivers and found that a large number of people he interviewed also favored resting a left arm or elbow on the bottom of the window frame. The use of the window frame for this purpose requires the window to be lowered so that it is fully recessed in the door frame. Under such circumstances, the window is fully opened and this presents a problem for very cold days. The comfort of driving with one's arm or elbow resting on the window frame can chill the automobile greatly in very cold temperatures.
There appears to be no solution to this problem in the prior art and drivers who enjoy the comfort of using the window frame for resting an arm must suffer driving in a cold car during the winter, or surrender the comfortable driving position until warmer weather is present. In addition, during very hot days when the driver requires air conditioning, opening the window fully could heat the car and be disadvantageous.
The present invention overcomes the problem of the prior art and allows a driver to use the lower window frame while minimizing any discomfort due to cold temperatures.